Naomi Campbell walks out of an interview with ABC News and shoves a camera after being asked about a diamond she allegedly received from former Liberian leader Charles Taylor.
ABC NEWS - Supermodel Naomi Campbell is staying mum on whether she received a large uncut diamond from former Liberian leader Charles Taylor.
Asked in an interview with ABC News about the alleged gift, Campbell refused to answer and ended the interview by saying "Thank you so much, good bye." But before walking off, the beauty, who has been accused of assault in the past, shoved the camera.
Taylor, an African warlord, is standing trial for war crimes. Prosecutors from the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone said Taylor sought to control neighboring Sierra Leone's diamond mines and destabilize its government to boost his regional influence. They say he directed the Revolutionary United Front rebels in a campaign of terror against civilians.
Actress Mia Farrow allegedly told prosecutors that Campbell received the diamond in 1997 when they were both guests of Nelson Mandela in South Africa.
The interview will air on Wednesday (April 22) on ABC's Nightline.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
FRAGRANCE Queries - All Your Perfume Queries Answered
Your one-stop question and answer spot for unlocking the
world of scent simply because unlike the majority of
products, perfumes and colognes are not shipped together
with a list of directions.
We've put together the most frequently asked inquiries and
have a Scent Expert from Perfume.com, to offer us the very
best advice on one the globe's most intriguing and
mystifying high-end products.
Q: What aromas do men love?
A: Fondness for a perfume can, in large part, originate from
a memory context. The slightest whiff of a scent can carry
him to another time and place; a tropical vacation, your
first alluring night out, etc. Your best bet? Grab samples
and ask him for opinions. Just in case any scent reminds him
of an old flame, steer clear of it absolutely!
Q: What's the most effective way to test perfumes?
A: Collect 3 or 4 of your favorite samples from a department
store (much more and your sniffer can be too overpowered to
decipher aromas properly!) Apply samples to clean skin and
give them a three to four hour time frame to reduce from top
to base notes, to ensure you acquire a complete experience
for their flavors.
Q: Is it possible to become immune to your perfume?
A: Following about four to five days of wearing the same
scent you are affected with olfactory fatigue, where one's
body can't sense the fragrance as well any longer. Even on a
every day basis, your perfume will fade under your nose after
about 3 to 5 minutes, whilst it will stay new and detectable
for any new people you come across throughout the day. To
prevent overdoing it, consider using less sprays, more
often. You may well top-up numerous gentle scents every
three to four hours.
Q: Why does a scent smell so different on my friends in
comparison with me?
A: Everything from your eating habits to your skin type can
influence the way a scent smells on each individual. PH
ranges (measure of acidity in our skin) also differ a bit
from individual to individual. Our unique levels of PH will
determine how every factor in a fragrance will react with
your body. Although the overall fragrance is always
identical, particular notes might be heightened or muted on
different ladies. People with dry skin commonly find their
fragrance lasts a shorter time than those with oily skin, as
oily skin has additional natural moisture to keep in the
scent.
Q: Do fragrances expire? How do I lengthen their lifespan?
A: Approximately five to six months following opening, a
perfume's alcohol and aldehydes can evaporate and modify its
overall scent, which makes it smell more chemical-like. To
sustain fragrance, keep bottles located away from sunlight
and best kept where it maintains a consistent temperature
(so keep your perfumes out of the bathroom!!)
Q: What's the best perfume choice for the very sensitive or
allergic?
A: Allergy symptoms also depend on the individual person's
chemical sensitivities, however a general principle is to
get a single note essential oil, or perhaps a gently scented
lotion, as opposed to a multi-note perfume.
Q: Is it alright to spray in public?
A: Well-ventilated publics only. Never ever spray inside
your cubicle just before a get together where you know
you'll encounter the hot guy in human resources. A lot of
people can have severe allergic reactions to perfume, even
lighter perfumed creams. Make an effort to keep work top-ups
to your lunchtime break.
Q: How do I help to make my scent last longer?
A: Layering a body cream or lotion (of the same smell)
underneath your perfume will make the perfume carry on much
longer, while not being overwhelming.
Q: Could I transition my day perfume into a nighttime scent?
A: You can, in the event you shop for scents with
complementary, not different notes. The best rule of thumb
would be to put on a lighter, fresher scent in the morning
hours and move into richer sensual blends for the night,
searching for notes that have shared central elements such
as particular fruits or flowers.
About the Author:
Trust the reviews and recommendations on fragrances from the
experts at Perfume.com. Find the best prices around on
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue perfume for women at
http://www.perfume.com/dolce-gabbana/light-blue/women-perfume
Any order over $50 also qualifies for FREE SHIPPING.
world of scent simply because unlike the majority of
products, perfumes and colognes are not shipped together
with a list of directions.
We've put together the most frequently asked inquiries and
have a Scent Expert from Perfume.com, to offer us the very
best advice on one the globe's most intriguing and
mystifying high-end products.
Q: What aromas do men love?
A: Fondness for a perfume can, in large part, originate from
a memory context. The slightest whiff of a scent can carry
him to another time and place; a tropical vacation, your
first alluring night out, etc. Your best bet? Grab samples
and ask him for opinions. Just in case any scent reminds him
of an old flame, steer clear of it absolutely!
Q: What's the most effective way to test perfumes?
A: Collect 3 or 4 of your favorite samples from a department
store (much more and your sniffer can be too overpowered to
decipher aromas properly!) Apply samples to clean skin and
give them a three to four hour time frame to reduce from top
to base notes, to ensure you acquire a complete experience
for their flavors.
Q: Is it possible to become immune to your perfume?
A: Following about four to five days of wearing the same
scent you are affected with olfactory fatigue, where one's
body can't sense the fragrance as well any longer. Even on a
every day basis, your perfume will fade under your nose after
about 3 to 5 minutes, whilst it will stay new and detectable
for any new people you come across throughout the day. To
prevent overdoing it, consider using less sprays, more
often. You may well top-up numerous gentle scents every
three to four hours.
Q: Why does a scent smell so different on my friends in
comparison with me?
A: Everything from your eating habits to your skin type can
influence the way a scent smells on each individual. PH
ranges (measure of acidity in our skin) also differ a bit
from individual to individual. Our unique levels of PH will
determine how every factor in a fragrance will react with
your body. Although the overall fragrance is always
identical, particular notes might be heightened or muted on
different ladies. People with dry skin commonly find their
fragrance lasts a shorter time than those with oily skin, as
oily skin has additional natural moisture to keep in the
scent.
Q: Do fragrances expire? How do I lengthen their lifespan?
A: Approximately five to six months following opening, a
perfume's alcohol and aldehydes can evaporate and modify its
overall scent, which makes it smell more chemical-like. To
sustain fragrance, keep bottles located away from sunlight
and best kept where it maintains a consistent temperature
(so keep your perfumes out of the bathroom!!)
Q: What's the best perfume choice for the very sensitive or
allergic?
A: Allergy symptoms also depend on the individual person's
chemical sensitivities, however a general principle is to
get a single note essential oil, or perhaps a gently scented
lotion, as opposed to a multi-note perfume.
Q: Is it alright to spray in public?
A: Well-ventilated publics only. Never ever spray inside
your cubicle just before a get together where you know
you'll encounter the hot guy in human resources. A lot of
people can have severe allergic reactions to perfume, even
lighter perfumed creams. Make an effort to keep work top-ups
to your lunchtime break.
Q: How do I help to make my scent last longer?
A: Layering a body cream or lotion (of the same smell)
underneath your perfume will make the perfume carry on much
longer, while not being overwhelming.
Q: Could I transition my day perfume into a nighttime scent?
A: You can, in the event you shop for scents with
complementary, not different notes. The best rule of thumb
would be to put on a lighter, fresher scent in the morning
hours and move into richer sensual blends for the night,
searching for notes that have shared central elements such
as particular fruits or flowers.
About the Author:
Trust the reviews and recommendations on fragrances from the
experts at Perfume.com. Find the best prices around on
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue perfume for women at
http://www.perfume.com/dolce-gabbana/light-blue/women-perfume
Any order over $50 also qualifies for FREE SHIPPING.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
10 Easy Steps to Feeling Fabulous!
The most important thing you can ever do for yourself and for
your love life is to feel fabulous.
Over the years of helping women learn to feel fabulous, I
realized there are 10 steps you have to take in order to truly
feel it. Before I tell you the 10 steps, I want to first share
with you what being fabulous really means and what gets in the
way of it. This way the steps will make sense.
You are Fabulous! Yes, you really are. I'm not talking about the
ego's idea - the false sense of being fabulous. I'm talking
about the whole of you: your essence, your heart, your spirit and
your body. You are a spiritual being having a human experience.
That means you come from Source - loving, pure positive energy.
That means you are Source energy - loving, pure positive energy -
in physical form.
What is being fabulous? It's an inner knowing of your worth,
value, beauty, goodness, sensuality, passion, kindness,
compassionate, love and joy. It's trusting yourself and Source.
It's surrendering. It's honoring all the qualities and values
you brought into this lifetime.
* When you embrace your fabulousness - your life is filled, on a
daily basis, with love and joy.
* When you realize you are fabulous, you become an irresistible
magnet. Men love a woman who truly lives in her fabulousness.
* When you know it and exude it, men want to be around you - a
lot. They don't care what size you are, how old you are or what
you wear.
What Gets In The Way Of Feeling Fabulous
The ego or self-critical voice gets in the way.
The key to realizing you're fabulous is to quiet the ego that
criticizes you. When you listen to ANY self-criticism, you can't
feel fabulous. So if you criticize your legs, or your level of
education, or your upbringing, or the school you didn't go to,
or your energy level - you are cutting yourself off from your
fabulousness.
Why would you do that? Is it habit? Because so many women do it,
that it feels familiar? Because you think the criticisms are
true?
Well, they are all lies. Any criticism about yourself is a lie.
There may be things you want to change about yourself. If you can
do that now, great. Change them. Lose or gain weight, get more
education, learn to sing or dance, tone your muscles, whatever
you want to do, just go do it.
Stop complaining and get moving. The cost of complaining is
exorbitant. The cost is love. I know, I did it for years. And
then when I stopped I had to learn to stop criticizing myself for
having criticized myself in the past. Oh the ego is ruthless and
tricky! Thank goodness my heart and soul won out over my ego.
And whatever you do, don't expect a man to help you get over
your criticisms. They can't, they don't know how and it's not
their job. It's yours.
Remember, stop criticizing yourself. It's keeping you from love.
In your heart and soul is all the love and joy you came in with
as a baby and somewhere along the line got disconnected from.
It's not hard work to get back in touch with it, but you have to
be willing to do some things.
The 3 areas of your life - physical, mental and spiritual - have
to all be worked on to feel fabulous. I've written out the 10
necessary steps below.
10 Daily Steps to Feel Great About Yourself and Life
For lasting results you'll want to do all of these steps. I help
women every day feel fabulous. So don't play small or complain
or listen to your excuses. Just do these 10 steps. They're
simple and easy. Honestly you'll be thrilled with the results.
1. Before you get out of bed start each day with 5 minutes of
gratitude. Find 3 things that put a smile on your face. It might
be your warm bed, your pet, a good friend, a new pair of shoes
you bought, anything.
2. Read three to five pages of an inspirational book. I love
Wayne Dyer, Esther and Jerry Hicks Abraham books, Don Miguel
Ruiz, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, James Redfield, Byron Katie.
I could go on and on. I would start with "The Power of
Intention" by Wayne Dyer, then read "The Vortex" by Esther
Hicks.
3. During the day, get some exercise. Every day. Something, even
if it's just stretching in front of the TV. Move your body. Put
on some music and dance for 10 minutes. Move your body. You'll
feel physically good. Build up to 30 minutes or more a day.
4. Eat healthy foods and, most importantly, slowly eat SMALL
portions. People always wonder why I'm slim. I eat what I want,
including a cookie every day, but I don't eat a lot at any one
time. Remember food is fuel and you need it during the day.
Breakfast is crucial - it's your fuel for the first part of the
day. Then you won't overeat at lunch or snack on high sugar
foods.
5. Also during the day, take some quiet time. The ideal would be
to meditate - which is just time to get free of the resistance
the mind creates. Put on a relaxing CD and give yourself
permission to relax - 10 to 15 minutes will make a difference.
6. Wear clothes that you feel fabulous in. Don't put on anything
that you don't feel fabulous in - give those clothes away. You
ever notice when you go on vacation you tend to take your
favorite clothes. You rarely take something you don't like. So
don't wear those clothes at home.
7. Do the focus wheel process that Abraham teaches in his books
to shift any negative thoughts. It's a highly effective
technique to help you shift from a thought that doesn't make you
feel good, to one that does make you feel good. It's brilliant
and simple. I'll share it in the Resource section.
8. Then, make sure every day you give love to someone. Could be a
cat or dog, your friend, neighbor, spouse, boyfriend, anyone.
This will put you in the consciousness of love. It's crucial for
your heart and soul.
9. And every day, give love to yourself. Just imagine filling
your heart and every cell of your body with loving energy for
yourself.
10. At the end of the day, before you go to sleep, end your day,
as you started it, by being grateful. Spend a few minutes before
you drift off to sleep verbalizing what you are grateful for
today.
I guarantee you if you do EVERY one of these things for 30 days,
you will significantly shift the way you feel about yourself. You
will start to feel fabulous. Keep it up for 3 months and you
won't even recognize yourself. You will feel like a Goddess.
Imagine starting 2010 feeling fabulous. If you start tomorrow
doing all the things I recommend, you will feel great about
yourself when January 1, 2010 rolls around.
Choose to be willing to feel fabulous and become irresistible.
Choose to do the steps to feel fabulous for the sake of the
absolute joy of feeling like a Goddess for the rest of your life.
Imagine the possibilities...
Carol Chanel
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Carol Chanel is a Certified Life Coach who works with women to
feel fabulous, attract lasting, loving relationships and create
joyful and inspiring lives. To learn more about how to feel
fabulous, Carol has a "Fabulous Program" that teaches you to feel
fabulous, reveal the irresistible you and attract lasting love.
You can get information about this program by going to the menu
on her website and clicking on the tab called "Fabulous" Program.
http://www.carolchanel.com/
your love life is to feel fabulous.
Over the years of helping women learn to feel fabulous, I
realized there are 10 steps you have to take in order to truly
feel it. Before I tell you the 10 steps, I want to first share
with you what being fabulous really means and what gets in the
way of it. This way the steps will make sense.
You are Fabulous! Yes, you really are. I'm not talking about the
ego's idea - the false sense of being fabulous. I'm talking
about the whole of you: your essence, your heart, your spirit and
your body. You are a spiritual being having a human experience.
That means you come from Source - loving, pure positive energy.
That means you are Source energy - loving, pure positive energy -
in physical form.
What is being fabulous? It's an inner knowing of your worth,
value, beauty, goodness, sensuality, passion, kindness,
compassionate, love and joy. It's trusting yourself and Source.
It's surrendering. It's honoring all the qualities and values
you brought into this lifetime.
* When you embrace your fabulousness - your life is filled, on a
daily basis, with love and joy.
* When you realize you are fabulous, you become an irresistible
magnet. Men love a woman who truly lives in her fabulousness.
* When you know it and exude it, men want to be around you - a
lot. They don't care what size you are, how old you are or what
you wear.
What Gets In The Way Of Feeling Fabulous
The ego or self-critical voice gets in the way.
The key to realizing you're fabulous is to quiet the ego that
criticizes you. When you listen to ANY self-criticism, you can't
feel fabulous. So if you criticize your legs, or your level of
education, or your upbringing, or the school you didn't go to,
or your energy level - you are cutting yourself off from your
fabulousness.
Why would you do that? Is it habit? Because so many women do it,
that it feels familiar? Because you think the criticisms are
true?
Well, they are all lies. Any criticism about yourself is a lie.
There may be things you want to change about yourself. If you can
do that now, great. Change them. Lose or gain weight, get more
education, learn to sing or dance, tone your muscles, whatever
you want to do, just go do it.
Stop complaining and get moving. The cost of complaining is
exorbitant. The cost is love. I know, I did it for years. And
then when I stopped I had to learn to stop criticizing myself for
having criticized myself in the past. Oh the ego is ruthless and
tricky! Thank goodness my heart and soul won out over my ego.
And whatever you do, don't expect a man to help you get over
your criticisms. They can't, they don't know how and it's not
their job. It's yours.
Remember, stop criticizing yourself. It's keeping you from love.
In your heart and soul is all the love and joy you came in with
as a baby and somewhere along the line got disconnected from.
It's not hard work to get back in touch with it, but you have to
be willing to do some things.
The 3 areas of your life - physical, mental and spiritual - have
to all be worked on to feel fabulous. I've written out the 10
necessary steps below.
10 Daily Steps to Feel Great About Yourself and Life
For lasting results you'll want to do all of these steps. I help
women every day feel fabulous. So don't play small or complain
or listen to your excuses. Just do these 10 steps. They're
simple and easy. Honestly you'll be thrilled with the results.
1. Before you get out of bed start each day with 5 minutes of
gratitude. Find 3 things that put a smile on your face. It might
be your warm bed, your pet, a good friend, a new pair of shoes
you bought, anything.
2. Read three to five pages of an inspirational book. I love
Wayne Dyer, Esther and Jerry Hicks Abraham books, Don Miguel
Ruiz, Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, James Redfield, Byron Katie.
I could go on and on. I would start with "The Power of
Intention" by Wayne Dyer, then read "The Vortex" by Esther
Hicks.
3. During the day, get some exercise. Every day. Something, even
if it's just stretching in front of the TV. Move your body. Put
on some music and dance for 10 minutes. Move your body. You'll
feel physically good. Build up to 30 minutes or more a day.
4. Eat healthy foods and, most importantly, slowly eat SMALL
portions. People always wonder why I'm slim. I eat what I want,
including a cookie every day, but I don't eat a lot at any one
time. Remember food is fuel and you need it during the day.
Breakfast is crucial - it's your fuel for the first part of the
day. Then you won't overeat at lunch or snack on high sugar
foods.
5. Also during the day, take some quiet time. The ideal would be
to meditate - which is just time to get free of the resistance
the mind creates. Put on a relaxing CD and give yourself
permission to relax - 10 to 15 minutes will make a difference.
6. Wear clothes that you feel fabulous in. Don't put on anything
that you don't feel fabulous in - give those clothes away. You
ever notice when you go on vacation you tend to take your
favorite clothes. You rarely take something you don't like. So
don't wear those clothes at home.
7. Do the focus wheel process that Abraham teaches in his books
to shift any negative thoughts. It's a highly effective
technique to help you shift from a thought that doesn't make you
feel good, to one that does make you feel good. It's brilliant
and simple. I'll share it in the Resource section.
8. Then, make sure every day you give love to someone. Could be a
cat or dog, your friend, neighbor, spouse, boyfriend, anyone.
This will put you in the consciousness of love. It's crucial for
your heart and soul.
9. And every day, give love to yourself. Just imagine filling
your heart and every cell of your body with loving energy for
yourself.
10. At the end of the day, before you go to sleep, end your day,
as you started it, by being grateful. Spend a few minutes before
you drift off to sleep verbalizing what you are grateful for
today.
I guarantee you if you do EVERY one of these things for 30 days,
you will significantly shift the way you feel about yourself. You
will start to feel fabulous. Keep it up for 3 months and you
won't even recognize yourself. You will feel like a Goddess.
Imagine starting 2010 feeling fabulous. If you start tomorrow
doing all the things I recommend, you will feel great about
yourself when January 1, 2010 rolls around.
Choose to be willing to feel fabulous and become irresistible.
Choose to do the steps to feel fabulous for the sake of the
absolute joy of feeling like a Goddess for the rest of your life.
Imagine the possibilities...
Carol Chanel
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Carol Chanel is a Certified Life Coach who works with women to
feel fabulous, attract lasting, loving relationships and create
joyful and inspiring lives. To learn more about how to feel
fabulous, Carol has a "Fabulous Program" that teaches you to feel
fabulous, reveal the irresistible you and attract lasting love.
You can get information about this program by going to the menu
on her website and clicking on the tab called "Fabulous" Program.
http://www.carolchanel.com/
Fashionable Boots for Women with Skinny Legs
For many years it has been difficult for women with skinny
legs to find boots that fit them properly. The boots tend to
have a wide gape at the top that never seems to look quite
right. This can be very frustrating when you are looking at
that great pair of designer boots and already know that they
will not fit you right. This can be very discouraging. No
woman wants to pay a large amount of money on a pair of
boots that they are never going to wear. There is a type of
boot that can help with this problem. Narrow calf boots are
made to better fit women with skinny legs. This can help
women who have all but given up on boots as an option that
will look and fit better on them. Finding a beautiful pair
of boots that will compliment your wardrobe and pull
together your look is what every woman wants. Narrow calf
boots can help women with thin legs to finally be able to
take full advantage of this fashionable foot wear that they
have so long been unable to wear.
There are few things that are more frustrating for any woman
than not being able to find the right shoes for an outfit
because of problems over the fit. Women with skinny legs
have had endless problems finding boots. Wearing a pair of
boots that don't fit properly is not only unattractive but
also uncomfortable. When you walk in boots that don't fit
your leg right the front of your leg can bruise or chafe
from repeatedly being hit by the boot. This can make wearing
boots so uncomfortable that you can't even enjoy them.
Designer boots are coveted by every woman due to their
beauty and versatility. A good pair of designer boots will
go with any outfit and be worn all the time. Women with
skinny legs finally have the option to wear these beautiful
boots too. Narrow calf boots look great and are far more
comfortable to wear than boots that are too loose on the
legs. This is a way for women with small thin legs to have
the boots that they want with the ft that they need. This
will make finding the right pair of boots easier and save
some wear and tear on your legs as well. Narrow calf boots
are a good option for any woman with skinny legs.
About the Author:
Don't worry if you have trouble finding stylish boots that
fit perfectly- you're not alone! Visit Duo Boots today and
check out their wide fitting boots,
http://www.duoboots.com/products/boots/
legs to find boots that fit them properly. The boots tend to
have a wide gape at the top that never seems to look quite
right. This can be very frustrating when you are looking at
that great pair of designer boots and already know that they
will not fit you right. This can be very discouraging. No
woman wants to pay a large amount of money on a pair of
boots that they are never going to wear. There is a type of
boot that can help with this problem. Narrow calf boots are
made to better fit women with skinny legs. This can help
women who have all but given up on boots as an option that
will look and fit better on them. Finding a beautiful pair
of boots that will compliment your wardrobe and pull
together your look is what every woman wants. Narrow calf
boots can help women with thin legs to finally be able to
take full advantage of this fashionable foot wear that they
have so long been unable to wear.
There are few things that are more frustrating for any woman
than not being able to find the right shoes for an outfit
because of problems over the fit. Women with skinny legs
have had endless problems finding boots. Wearing a pair of
boots that don't fit properly is not only unattractive but
also uncomfortable. When you walk in boots that don't fit
your leg right the front of your leg can bruise or chafe
from repeatedly being hit by the boot. This can make wearing
boots so uncomfortable that you can't even enjoy them.
Designer boots are coveted by every woman due to their
beauty and versatility. A good pair of designer boots will
go with any outfit and be worn all the time. Women with
skinny legs finally have the option to wear these beautiful
boots too. Narrow calf boots look great and are far more
comfortable to wear than boots that are too loose on the
legs. This is a way for women with small thin legs to have
the boots that they want with the ft that they need. This
will make finding the right pair of boots easier and save
some wear and tear on your legs as well. Narrow calf boots
are a good option for any woman with skinny legs.
About the Author:
Don't worry if you have trouble finding stylish boots that
fit perfectly- you're not alone! Visit Duo Boots today and
check out their wide fitting boots,
http://www.duoboots.com/products/boots/
Lord Bacon on Beauty and Strangeness
Reading Edgar Allan Poe's Gothic tale "Ligeia," which is a
study of the supernatural and of feminine beauty, I noticed
that Poe quoted Elizabethan politician and scholar Francis
Bacon: "There's no exquisite beauty," says Bacon, Lord
Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of
beauty "without some strangeness in the proportion." Is this
really true? I asked myself.
In James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, we
find that Stephen Dedalus' translated Aquinas model of beauty
using the following words: wholeness (integritas), balance
(consonantia), and radiance (claritas). 'Balance' is often
translated as 'proportion' by others. So, if something is
lacking in any of the above three elements, then the beauty
observed will be flawed.
In Ligeia, Poe's neurotic and unreliable narrator is
determined to find out that 'strangeness' that was so
unnerving to him: "I was possessed with a passion to
discover." After examining in great detail Ligeia's hair,
skin, nose, lips, teeth, smile, chin, and eyes, he concludes
that her eyes carry the unmistakable light of strangeness:
"They were, I must believe, far larger than the ordinary
eyes of our own race. They were fuller than the fullest of
the gazelle eyes ..." And in the end it is the eyes that
convinces him that the revivified corpse is Ligeia and not
Lady Rowena Trevanion of Tremaine.
As part of his study of the glittering Russian aristocracy,
in Ana Karenina, Leon Tolstoy explored Ana's physical
beauty: face, arms, neck, hair, feet, hands, and even her
dress and accessories:
"Some supernatural force drew Kitty's eyes to Anna's face.
She was fascinating in her simple black dress, fascinating
were her round arms with their bracelets, fascinating was
her firm neck with its thread of pearls, fascinating the
straying curls of her loose hair, fascinating the graceful,
light movements of her little feet and hands, fascinating
was that lovely face in its eagerness, but there was
something terrible and cruel in her fascination."
But it is not from any particular part that he finds fault
in Ana. Nothing is flawed. It is the whole --wholeness of
fascination-- that gives off the odor of cruelty and
strangeness, destroying therefore the balance of her beauty.
Not only did Scott Fitzgerald create a wholesome American
beauty in Daisy Buchanan --the belle of The Great Gatsby--
but a flawed American beauty. Understanding doesn't come
easy to Daisy, and when she offers an opinion, it is always
a trivial opinion that often verges on absurdity. Notice how
Daisy deals with one single idea by repeating the very same
idea three times: "In two weeks it'll be the longest day in
the year." She looked at us all radiantly. "Do you always
watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I
always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss
it." If you count the pronoun "it" you will realize that she
has mentioned the longest day of the year five times. And
throughout the novel, Daisy keeps stuttering and repeating
herself; a problem that Nick Carraway --the narrator-- calls
"echolalia."
For the reader of fiction nothing can be more poignant than
the fall of a beautiful, intelligent, and honorable
character; but when the character is a female and from the
upper crust, the situation becomes pathetic. Edith Wharton's
The House of Mirth chronicles the demise of an old New York
society beauty. Of all the beautiful women portrayed in
novels by male and female authors, Lily Bart remains the
epitome of exquisiteness and elegance. Beset by financial
problems left by her bankrupt husband, Lily's mother hopes
for a brighter future through her daughter:
"Only one thought consoled her, and that was the
contemplation of Lily's beauty. She studied it with a kind
of passion, as though it were some weapon she had slowly
fashioned for her vengeance. It was the last asset in their
fortunes, the nucleus around which their life was to be
rebuilt."
When Lily poses for a tableau vivant, she dazzles the
viewers with her beauty. Yet readers gasp and shudder at the
anticipation of impending doom. Selden, Lily's sedated
paramour, detects the strangeness in Lily's beauty: she is
ogled rather admired; that "she was so evidently the victim
of the civilization which had produced her that the links of
her bracelet seemed like manacles chaining her to her fate."
Hidden (more often than not) from easy detection are the
strange traits of beautiful female characters. Thanks to
Edgar Allan Poe, armed with Lord Bacon's axiom, "There's no
exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the
proportion," readers perhaps will seek out the strangeness
--lack of balance-- that makes a particular character
beautiful.
About the Author:
Marciano Guerrero is a retired investment banker, Columbia
University-educated, and Vietnam Vet (67-68).
English is my second language; I only use one textbook to
guide my writing. Mary Duffy's e-book "Sentence Openers"
contains all the writing techniques I use in my essays and
fiction: http://sentenceopeners.com
study of the supernatural and of feminine beauty, I noticed
that Poe quoted Elizabethan politician and scholar Francis
Bacon: "There's no exquisite beauty," says Bacon, Lord
Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of
beauty "without some strangeness in the proportion." Is this
really true? I asked myself.
In James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, we
find that Stephen Dedalus' translated Aquinas model of beauty
using the following words: wholeness (integritas), balance
(consonantia), and radiance (claritas). 'Balance' is often
translated as 'proportion' by others. So, if something is
lacking in any of the above three elements, then the beauty
observed will be flawed.
In Ligeia, Poe's neurotic and unreliable narrator is
determined to find out that 'strangeness' that was so
unnerving to him: "I was possessed with a passion to
discover." After examining in great detail Ligeia's hair,
skin, nose, lips, teeth, smile, chin, and eyes, he concludes
that her eyes carry the unmistakable light of strangeness:
"They were, I must believe, far larger than the ordinary
eyes of our own race. They were fuller than the fullest of
the gazelle eyes ..." And in the end it is the eyes that
convinces him that the revivified corpse is Ligeia and not
Lady Rowena Trevanion of Tremaine.
As part of his study of the glittering Russian aristocracy,
in Ana Karenina, Leon Tolstoy explored Ana's physical
beauty: face, arms, neck, hair, feet, hands, and even her
dress and accessories:
"Some supernatural force drew Kitty's eyes to Anna's face.
She was fascinating in her simple black dress, fascinating
were her round arms with their bracelets, fascinating was
her firm neck with its thread of pearls, fascinating the
straying curls of her loose hair, fascinating the graceful,
light movements of her little feet and hands, fascinating
was that lovely face in its eagerness, but there was
something terrible and cruel in her fascination."
But it is not from any particular part that he finds fault
in Ana. Nothing is flawed. It is the whole --wholeness of
fascination-- that gives off the odor of cruelty and
strangeness, destroying therefore the balance of her beauty.
Not only did Scott Fitzgerald create a wholesome American
beauty in Daisy Buchanan --the belle of The Great Gatsby--
but a flawed American beauty. Understanding doesn't come
easy to Daisy, and when she offers an opinion, it is always
a trivial opinion that often verges on absurdity. Notice how
Daisy deals with one single idea by repeating the very same
idea three times: "In two weeks it'll be the longest day in
the year." She looked at us all radiantly. "Do you always
watch for the longest day of the year and then miss it? I
always watch for the longest day in the year and then miss
it." If you count the pronoun "it" you will realize that she
has mentioned the longest day of the year five times. And
throughout the novel, Daisy keeps stuttering and repeating
herself; a problem that Nick Carraway --the narrator-- calls
"echolalia."
For the reader of fiction nothing can be more poignant than
the fall of a beautiful, intelligent, and honorable
character; but when the character is a female and from the
upper crust, the situation becomes pathetic. Edith Wharton's
The House of Mirth chronicles the demise of an old New York
society beauty. Of all the beautiful women portrayed in
novels by male and female authors, Lily Bart remains the
epitome of exquisiteness and elegance. Beset by financial
problems left by her bankrupt husband, Lily's mother hopes
for a brighter future through her daughter:
"Only one thought consoled her, and that was the
contemplation of Lily's beauty. She studied it with a kind
of passion, as though it were some weapon she had slowly
fashioned for her vengeance. It was the last asset in their
fortunes, the nucleus around which their life was to be
rebuilt."
When Lily poses for a tableau vivant, she dazzles the
viewers with her beauty. Yet readers gasp and shudder at the
anticipation of impending doom. Selden, Lily's sedated
paramour, detects the strangeness in Lily's beauty: she is
ogled rather admired; that "she was so evidently the victim
of the civilization which had produced her that the links of
her bracelet seemed like manacles chaining her to her fate."
Hidden (more often than not) from easy detection are the
strange traits of beautiful female characters. Thanks to
Edgar Allan Poe, armed with Lord Bacon's axiom, "There's no
exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the
proportion," readers perhaps will seek out the strangeness
--lack of balance-- that makes a particular character
beautiful.
About the Author:
Marciano Guerrero is a retired investment banker, Columbia
University-educated, and Vietnam Vet (67-68).
English is my second language; I only use one textbook to
guide my writing. Mary Duffy's e-book "Sentence Openers"
contains all the writing techniques I use in my essays and
fiction: http://sentenceopeners.com
Give Yourself a Healthy Glow to Your Skin
The days are finally getting longer, warmer, and sunnier!
Many of you are counting down the days to short sleeves,
bare legs, and a summer of sunshine. So it's time to get
your skin ready for all the wonderful things summer has to
offer!
For many of you winter leaves you with dry skin, and it's
time to brush away the dead cells and start anew with fresh,
radiant skin. Start with a full body exfoliation, and pay
special attention to wherever your extra-dry areas are. For
many women it can be their elbows, knees, and/or shins. You
can find all sorts of exfoliating scrubs at your local
pharmacy, beauty supply store, and even online. There are
special formulas for sensitive skin, and gentler scrubs for
your face and neck. You shouldn't use the same kind of scrub
on your body as you do on your face -- the skin on your face
is much more delicate. After you exfoliate help your skin
stay hydrated by using a moisturizer every day.
Be sure you are drinking enough water every day; you should
try to drink at least six eight-ounce glasses of water every
day. Yes, that is a lot of water, but your body is mostly
water, isn't it? Your body needs a lot of fluids to keep
functioning properly. Without water your skin can tend to
become very dry and flaky. So drink up! Caffeinated sodas
and coffees don't have quite the same effects as a tall
class of water does. Plus, water is more refreshing than the
other stuff.
Some folks like to hit a tanning bed or use a self-tanner to
get a sort of pre-tan, so they're not going out into the
sunshine at their palest, and to give their skin that great
summer glow. If you decide on the salon route, make sure you
ask about photosensitizing drugs and other health warnings.
Even something that seems as harmless as ibuprofen (the main
ingredient you find in Advil or Motrin) can make your skin
more likely to burn. Be sure to wear some sort of sunscreen
while tanning in a salon. Tanning beds can be very damaging
to unprotected skin. Keeping your skin moisturized with a
lotion that has an SPF in it not only helps you prevent
certain skin diseases, but it will keep your skin from
premature aging.
Once you have that perfect glowing skin ready for summer get
out there and show it off. It doesn't take much, just be sure
you have a skin care routine, drink plenty of water, and do
not forget the sunscreen.
About the Author:
Justin Hoopes is currently livings in Cache Valley, Logan. He
is currently working for Sweet You. Check out our store
online http://www.sweetlyyou.com/
Many of you are counting down the days to short sleeves,
bare legs, and a summer of sunshine. So it's time to get
your skin ready for all the wonderful things summer has to
offer!
For many of you winter leaves you with dry skin, and it's
time to brush away the dead cells and start anew with fresh,
radiant skin. Start with a full body exfoliation, and pay
special attention to wherever your extra-dry areas are. For
many women it can be their elbows, knees, and/or shins. You
can find all sorts of exfoliating scrubs at your local
pharmacy, beauty supply store, and even online. There are
special formulas for sensitive skin, and gentler scrubs for
your face and neck. You shouldn't use the same kind of scrub
on your body as you do on your face -- the skin on your face
is much more delicate. After you exfoliate help your skin
stay hydrated by using a moisturizer every day.
Be sure you are drinking enough water every day; you should
try to drink at least six eight-ounce glasses of water every
day. Yes, that is a lot of water, but your body is mostly
water, isn't it? Your body needs a lot of fluids to keep
functioning properly. Without water your skin can tend to
become very dry and flaky. So drink up! Caffeinated sodas
and coffees don't have quite the same effects as a tall
class of water does. Plus, water is more refreshing than the
other stuff.
Some folks like to hit a tanning bed or use a self-tanner to
get a sort of pre-tan, so they're not going out into the
sunshine at their palest, and to give their skin that great
summer glow. If you decide on the salon route, make sure you
ask about photosensitizing drugs and other health warnings.
Even something that seems as harmless as ibuprofen (the main
ingredient you find in Advil or Motrin) can make your skin
more likely to burn. Be sure to wear some sort of sunscreen
while tanning in a salon. Tanning beds can be very damaging
to unprotected skin. Keeping your skin moisturized with a
lotion that has an SPF in it not only helps you prevent
certain skin diseases, but it will keep your skin from
premature aging.
Once you have that perfect glowing skin ready for summer get
out there and show it off. It doesn't take much, just be sure
you have a skin care routine, drink plenty of water, and do
not forget the sunscreen.
About the Author:
Justin Hoopes is currently livings in Cache Valley, Logan. He
is currently working for Sweet You. Check out our store
online http://www.sweetlyyou.com/
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